Mini-Review: A masterful exercise in suspense on a paltry budget, Ridley Scott's Alien is a deliberately violent and haunting film, with the prime aim throughout to shock the audience with as many cold scares as possible. Despite this fact, the film is only part thriller, with much screen time dedicated to the central concept of two species colliding - the menacing Alien architecture cut in sharp contrast with the controlled white interiors of the Nostromo - allowing a rivetting psychological subtext.